Pictures from Kaitlynn's Southeast Asia trip, something I'm loving, and a fun announcement!

Plus, lots of pictures, updates, and my morning devotions Hi, Friend! It was Spring Break this week for four of the kids and Kierstyn and I spent last weekend through Monday in Kansas with my parents. (More pictures from our Kansas trip below!) Kierstyn and I got home late Monday afternoon and then picked up Kaitlynn from her Singapore/Indonesia trip a few hours later. (A few pictures from her trip below! And stay tuned as she's going to be coming on the podcast soon to share about her experience on the trip!) We stayed up processing her trip, Kaitlynn went to bed, slept really well, and woke up to have 30 minutes to pack and then leave with friends for a week at the beach. (I told her if she got really good sleep, she could go on the the beach trip so she was determined to make it happen!) She has called me every day or so and says that being out in the sun on the beach has been so good for her and that she can't believe how little jet lag she's felt! Considering the 12 hour time difference, I am super impressed that she's recovered so well! I've always heard that the sun was good for jet lag recovery and it appears -- at least for her! -- that's been the case! Silas and Jesse were in DC last week on a school trip (they got home the night before Kierstyn and I left for Kansas!) and had the BEST trip! We sat down and recorded a podcast about their trip a few days ago -- look for that to come out next week! After multiple trips for multiple people, I’m ready for everyone to be home under the same roof again starting tomorrow (well, other than Kathrynne who is away at college!) We’re starting to gear up/prep for Kaitlynn’s graduation (she just got [her senior pictures](=) back and they are stunning! [See them here](.) and summer plans. And middle school baseball starts in full force this coming week! Jesse is the assistant coach, so he’s at all the practices with Silas! Which means a lot of life will revolve around baseball the next few months — and we absolutely love it! I love all the fresh air and sunshine we get sitting on the sidelines… though since Jesse will be coaching, it will be interesting to figure out how to keep the three younger children occupied by myself. But I’m working on a game plan and grateful that they are all older and Kierstyn is almost 4, so she’s much more capable and responsible than last year when we had three under three! :) Kaitlynn got to serve in a village in Indonesia for part of the trip and then spent some time sight-seeing in Singapore! She wants to take our family back to both places as she said she thinks it would be so much fun to experience it all together! Whitney, from [Brighter Day Press](, was in town last week so she and I got to have coffee together. She has been such a gift in my life. If you are not following her online, I highly recommend her [Instagram]() and [website](! Links You Might Be Interested In: - If you love deals, don’t miss the [Top 10 Deals From This Past Week post!]() There’s a hot deal on my favorite magnesium lotion (it ends Sunday night!), an Under Armour sale that has been very popular, Lululemon and Squishmallow deals, plus more! - Did you see I posted the recipe for [Easy Overnight Artisan Bread last week](? This is SUCH a [winner recipe]( and I’m loving hearing from so many of you who are trying it out and loving it, too! - Speaking of recipes, we also re-did and re-posted the very popular recipe from the archives: [Portion-Sized Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal.]( This is a yummy and nutrition-packed breakfast or snack idea — or really, something you could eat any time of the day! If you haven't tried [this tea](=), I highly recommend it! My mom gave it to me for Christmas and it's my new favorite! I'm not usually a big lemon tea person, but this one is SO good (and surprisingly, it actually doesn't even have any lemon in it!) Have you ever felt like staying on top of allllllllll the regular household tasks can feel like a never-ending job!? - Maybe it’s the season you are in that has been filled to the brim with hard, stretching, or unexpected things. - Or maybe it’s that you don’t love cleaning and organizing and find yourself easily productively procrastinating on other things (can anyone relate to that??). - Or perhaps it’s that you feel like you just don’t have a good system in place and you don’t have time to create one. If you’ve read any of my books or have followed along online for any length of time, you know that I’m all about streamlining and eliminating decision fatigue. And I want to do exactly that for myself — and for you! — when it comes to helping both of us keep our homes and lives in order. Introducing the FREE Simplified Home Checklists! I decided to make a set of lists for all my regular home tasks that I can reuse every day. Then that info can be out of my head and down on paper — forever! And I can just check things off as I go each day, with a lot less effort! And guess what?! [I’m giving away these checklists to you for FREE]()! Because there is just something about a doable list to help make the whole day feel more productive, right?! When you download the [FREE Simplified Home Checklists](), you’ll get: - An easy set of regular household tasks for you to quickly go through and check off each morning, afternoon, and evening so you can feel more on top of things all day long. - Extra space and some ideas for you to personalize your lists with tasks that are unique to you. - Two versions to choose from for those who are home most of the day and those who are away from home most of the day. (You get both versions, so that you can decide which is best for you!) - Weekly, monthly, quarterly, and even annual checklists for your tasks that need to be done regularly, but not daily. [These simple lists]() will not only help you simplify your life and save you time, but they will help you start your day with a few quick and easy wins! And here’s the thing I’ve learned: when you start your day with a few quick wins, you’ll usually be inspired to follow those with even more wins and productivity! Sign up for your [FREE Simplified Home Checklists](=) to help save your sanity and streamline your day — starting today! Here’s to less stress and more joy and organization in our lives! [Click here to get your FREE Simplified Home Checklists.](=) I’m guessing many of you have seen the funny crunchy video comedy clips from Really Very Crunchy on Instagram or TikTok or YouTube. Emily and Jason Morrow are the talented writers, producers, and actors for these and I got the privilege of [interviewing Emily in-studio recently]() about her brand-new book, [Really Very Crunchy: A Beginner’s Guide to Removing Toxins from Your Life Without Adding Them to Your Personality](. As my word for the year is health, I’ve especially loved Emily’s videos and her book. She makes me laugh, she makes me think, she teaches me a lot of things I never knew about (and then need to go Google for more information!), and she does it all in a very gracious and kind way. In [this episode of the podcast](), Emily shares some really humorous stories (including why she got a pedicure and then took off the polish before coming to my house for the interview!) as well as very practical advice on how to live a more health-conscious lifestyle without breaking the bank. We talk about a lot of practices you can implement that are free and easy + she shares her best tips for eating healthy on a budget (they were so good and inspiring!). Emily’s refreshing approach to the crunchy lifestyle, filled with self-deprecating humor, makes it accessible to everyone, regardless of their current choices. (She reminds us often that “crunchy is a spectrum” and it’s not worth losing relationships over crazy crunchy rules you’ve concocted. We also touch on the challenges of balancing a crunchy lifestyle with real-world situations and she shared a recent situation she navigated at a family dinner. Emily encourages a mindful and compassionate approach, reminding us that we can have strong convictions without belittling, condemning, or ostracizing others. The conversation also extends beyond dietary choices, as we also talk about the interconnectedness of mental and physical health. Emily’s perspective on stress and the importance of a balanced approach to health is so important for all of us to hear and remember. [Listen to the podcast episode here](=) = My current morning devotion reads: I do a lesson from Come to Life (She Reads Truth -- it is going through Ezekiel and digging into that book of the Bible), and then I read a few pages of [I Want God]()(so convicting!) and then one devotion from [Embraced](). Another highlight of the past two weeks: getting to be at the adoption of my dear friend, Kate, as [she adopted Ryland]()! I got to go up to the NICU to meet him before she even said yes to fostering him... and it's been an honor to have a front seat to what God is doing in her life. And not only did she adopt Ryland, but [Kate is getting married](=) (after 20 years of hoping and praying and waiting!) in just about 20 days!! ([Read more of her story here,]( if you haven't.) A few pictures from my trip to Kansas are above! I shared [more about why I've been going to Kansas so often + a fun 4-generation picture in tonight's Instagram post.]( The joy this boy brings to our lives is just hard to put into words! He's become so much more interactive and communicative the past six months and it's been so fun! Last chance to get this deal! Through Sunday evening (March 17th), one of my favorite small businesses is running a rare deal to get [FREE 2oz Magnesium Oil on any order of two or more Magnesium Lotions]()! This is a GREAT deal! No coupon code is required. Simply [add at least two tubes of Magnesium Lotion to your cart]() and the FREE 2oz Magnesium Oil will be added to your cart. Choose from [original unscented](=) or the [lavender sleep scent](. (The lavender is our favorite!) The stack of books I got sent this past week from authors/publishers. I can't get over the gift I have of getting to review books and introduce you to authors through my reviews and my podcast! Since it was Spring Break week and we didn’t need to get up and out the door early in the mornings for school, Jesse and I took advantage of that to catch up on our ABC date nights! We ended up doing three date nights this week (!!!) and did C, D, and E! We went to Circa for dinner for our C night, Drake's for our D night, and Edley's for our E night. We only had a short window of time each night (usually less than 2 hours due to childcare), but we made the most of our time! A fun announcement before I close this email: [I started a brand-new account there]() this week that I’ve been thinking of doing for a little while now. So many of you have loved when I’ve done my cleaning challenges and have asked if I could share them in a way that you could refer back to them. This account will be just that! Every week day, I’ll be [sharing a reel with a very simple cleaning challenge]() (usually that you can complete in 5-15 minutes!) If you need some motivation to keep your home more clean, organized, and decluttered, be sure to follow along. And in my typical style, it will not be perfect or magazine-worthy, but I hope that it encourages you to just do something because something is always better than nothing! [Go follow my new cleaning Instagram account.]() _______________ I hope you have a wonderful Sunday! I plan to be completely offline and am looking forward to a day of rest! -Crystal P.S. If you love deals, don’t miss the [Top 10 Deals From This Past Week post!]() There’s a hot deal on my favorite magnesium lotion (it ends Sunday night!), an Under Armour sale that has been very popular, Lululemon and Squishmallow deals, plus more! [Unsubscribe]( Money Saving Mom, LLC 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Ste. 900 #313 Franklin, Tennessee 37069 United States